Gestational Hypothermia Detected in Wild Vervet Monkeys
Primate gestation occurs at a high cost to the female wild vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) mostly due to the long gestational period. Reproductive effort should or most likely is naturally repressed if it poses a risk of survival for the mother. During periods of limited resources, females in poor condition are less likely to conceive, and if they do conceive, are less likely to complete the pregnancy compared to females in good condition.